Assessment of Ambient Air Quality in Rural Area of Palghar District in Maharashtra State

ISSN(Online): 2319-8753 ISSN (Print): 2347-6710 International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology (A High Impact Factor, Monthly, Peer Reviewed Journal) Visit: www.ijirset.com Vol. 7, Issue 8, August 2018

S T Tayade1, G M Achary1, S Sengupta1, A D Sawant2 Member, Socleen, Elanza Tower, Sayani Rd, Prabhadevi (West), Mumbai, Maharashtra, India1 President, Socleen, Elanza Tower, Sayani Rd, Prabhadevi (West), Mumbai, Maharashtra, India 2

ABSTRACT:Rapid increase in population, economic development, urbanization, transportation, and energy consumption, are major dynamic forces of air pollution in large and growing cities. Emissions from biomass utilization and combustion are major sources of outdoor and indoor air pollution and are estimated to cause millions of premature deaths worldwide annually. The present paper assesses the ambient air quality status in rural residential area of Wada, Mokada, Vikramgad, Shahapur and Jawhar Taluka of Palghar District of Maharashtra. Ten sites under rural area were selected to assess the ambient air quality of the region. The air quality was assessed based on measuring five parameters air pollutants namely Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) and Sulphur-di-oxide (SO2) and Ammonia (NH3). Mean values of particulate matters i.e PM10 and PM2.5 are found to be higher than the prescribed limits of CPCB, New Delhi at all sites except Waki and Balivali sites. NOx, SO2 and NH3 average levels are within the prescribed limits of CPCB. The AQI value of Sakhare, Belwad and Suryamal sites are found to be heavily polluted; Malwada, Waki, Walvande, Parli, Mangrul, and Dhaipatpada are observed as moderate polluted whereas Balivali site found as lighter polluted. Thus, heavily polluted villages need to take immediate steps to reduce the pollution levels of particulate matters.

KEYWORDS:CPCB, PM10, PM2.5, heavily polluted, AQI. I. INTRODUCTION

Population growth has been enhanced in urban cities due to migration of rural population [1]. Increase in industrial activities, population both endemic and floating with vehicular population has led to a rapid increase in environmental problems like air pollution, sound pollution, etc [2,3]. Pollution has become a major issue of debate and especially the air pollution because of the anthropogenic activities such as burning fossil fuels, natural gas, coal and oil to power industrial processes and motor vehicles emissions. Clean air is one of the basic requirements and essential of health and well-being of humans [4]. Levels of air pollutants are rapidly increasing in urban and rural areas in many megacities (urban population greater than 10 million) of the developing world [5]. Most of Asian cities cannot comply with the WHO air quality guidelines or the US Environmental Protection Agency standard, exempted cities in more developed countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan. Various Asian cities in China, India, and Vietnam have the highest levels of outdoor air pollution in the world [6]. A widespread range of adverse effects of air pollution on health has documented by studies conducted in various parts of the region [7,8,9,10,11,12]. Also, air pollution causes environmental degradation such as acid rain, eutrophication, haze, ozone depletion, crop and forest damage and global climate change [12,13,14]. WHO estimated that 3 million deaths from PM2.5 exposure for the year 2012, while the most recent Global Burden of Disease estimate was 4.2 million for the year 2015. Exposure to pollutants levels of PM2.5 that leads the environmental risk factor for death, accounting for about 4.2 million deaths which ranks 5th worldwide among all risks, including smoking, diet, and high blood pressure [11]. The most obvious is urban ambient air pollution that causes approximately 8,00,000 deaths per year worldwide [17]. Particulate matter (PM), SO2, NO2 and O3 are considered as air pollutants and commonly used as indicator pollutants for fuel combustion and traffic related air pollution [18]. In South Asia, air pollution ranks among the leading risk factors contributing to the global and regional burden of disease [19,20].

It has been stated that more than 70% of the population in India depends on traditional fuels that includes firewood, crop residue, cow dung, coal and lignite, etc for cooking and almost 32% depend on kerosene for lighting purposes mostly at rural regions. About, 3 billion people in the world (more than 40% of the global population) rely on traditional biomass for the purpose of cooking and an estimated 500 million households rely on kerosene and similar for the purpose of lighting [21]. In rural regions of India, for instance, only 11.4% of the households use LPG for cooking purposes as per Census 2011 [22]. Fuel from biomass remains a widely used as a source of energy in rural India whereas nearly 80% of households use them as the primary cooking fuel. In contrast, the majority of urban households use liquefied petroleum gas as the primary cooking fuel however, about 19% of urban households use biomass fuel for cooking purposes. Poverty, inaccessibility to improved cooking fuel and lack of awareness about harms of biomass emissions are among the major factors that drive their widespread use [23]. Use of biomass fuel leads to harmful health effects due to the emission, during its incomplete combustion of a large number of air pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), respirable particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), benzene, and metals like lead and copper [24, 25,26]. Air quality in rural areas remains a neglected issue so far. It is commonly belief that rural areas are free from air pollution. On the contrary, air quality in the rural areas all over the world and particularly in the developing countries may be more polluted than some of the urban areas [27]. Rural areas suffer from air pollution caused by both natural as well as because of human activities. Major sources of air pollution in rural area are indiscriminate use of insecticides/pesticides sprays and burning of wheat and paddy straw. The major air pollutants include gases like sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, and particulate matter. These air pollutants in the atmosphere have an adverse effect on human life and are contributed by various sources. The direct effect of air pollutants on plants, animals and soil can influence the structure and function of ecosystems, including self regulation ability, thereby affecting the quality of life [28]. Thus, it needs to monitor the ambient air quality of rural region of residential areas.

II. MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study was carried out at 10 villages located in the Palghar District of Maharashtra state in Konkan Division. New Palghar District was engraved out of the old Thane District, it comprised the talukas of Palghar, Vada, Vikramgad, Jawhar, Mokhada, Dahanu, Talasari and Vasai-Virar. The district is bounded by Thane and Nashik Districts on the east and north east, and by Valsad District of Gujarat state and Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli on the north. Air quality in region is the result of complex interaction between natural and anthropogenic environmental condition [29].

For the present study, sites were selected near the main roads where vehicles move continuously in the vada, vikramgad, Jawhar and Mokhada Taluka of Palghar District. Most of the villages are of the scheduled tribes, persons are Katkaris, Kolams and Madia Gonds are the considered Primitive Tribes of the state. The other more known tribes are Warli, Bhils, Gonds, Mahadeo kolis, and Malahar kolis, Koknas, Thakurs etc. Tribals are usually referred as backward, meaning their lack of capacity to utilize the opportunities of development offered to them. The crucial issues in their development are therefore not related only to providing infrastructure and schemes of development but to develop their capacity to utilize them on par with other citizens of the District or state.

Ambient air monitoring was carried out for twice a week in a month for 12 months. Thus, for one site, 12 weeks data is collected for ambient air monitoring. It was carried out during the month of January 2016 to December 2016. Locations of ambient air monitoring sites are mentioned in table 1 with respect to their talukas.

Table 1: Sites for Ambient Air Monitoring at Palghar District

Sr.No Site in Village Talukas 1 Malwada Vikramgad 2 Waki Vikramgad 3 Sakhare Jawhar 4 Walvande Jawhar 5 Belwad Shahapur 6 Balivali Shahapur 7 Parli Wada 8 Suryamal Mokada 9 Mangrul Wada 10 Dhaipatpada Wada

Samples of PM10 and PM2.5 were collected at all the 10 sites. PM10 and PM2.5 samples were collected for 24 hours at 10 different sites for twice a week. PM10 and PM2.5 samples were collected on Whatman GF/A and Teflon-Millipore filter papers by respirable dust sampler (APM 460DX, Envirotech, New Delhi) and Wins-Anderson impactor (APM 550, Envirotech, New Delhi) with sharper cut point of 10μm and 2.5μm, respectively. The high volume sampler and Wins- Anderson impactor were operated at flow rates of 1.0 m3/min and 16.67 l/min, respectively. All the filter papers were pre-weighed on analytical weighing balance before the sampling and desiccated for 24 hours. To avoid the contamination, the conditioned and weighed filter papers were placed in filter holder cassette for PM2.5 and zip lock polybag for PM10 and were taken to the field for sampling. Before loading the filter papers on the samplers, initial volume and timer readings were noted for PM2.5 and the manometer reading for PM10 sampler. Filter papers were loaded on respective samplers and starting the samplers. After sampling, the loaded filter of PM2.5 was removed with forceps and placed in cassette and wrapped with aluminium foil. Similarly, the PM10 filter paper was wrapped in aluminum foil and placed back in zip lock polybag and both the filter papers were transferred to laboratory. In laboratory, filter papers were conditioned and weighed again to determine the mass concentration of the PM10 and PM2.5. The weighed filter papers were preserved in freezer for chemical analysis.

SO2, NOx and NH3 were measured with help of RDS APM 460DX with gaseous attachment APM 411 by sucking air into appropriate reagent for 48 h every week at 24-hourly intervals and after air monitoring it procured into lab and analysis for the concentration level. SO2, NOx and NH3 were collected by bubbling the ample in a specific absorbing (Sodium tetrachloromercurate for SO2, Sodium hydroxide for NOx, and 0.1N Sulphuric acid for NH3 ) solution at an average flow rate of 0.2-0.5 l/min. Impinge samples were placed in the ice boxes immediately after sampling and placed immediately to a refrigerator until analyzed. The concentration of NOx was measured with standard method of Modified [30], SO2 was measured by modified [31] and NH3 was measured by using Nessler method. The instrument was kept at a height of 2 to 2.5 m from the surface of the ground.

Air Quality Index

Air Quality Index (AQI) is used to monitor the air quality in cities across the country on a real time basis and also to enhance the public awareness. Air Quality Index (AQI) is one such tool for effective dissemination of air quality information to people [32]. AQI will help the people know about the level of pollution in the ambient air on daily basis. The air quality index (AQI) is a measure of the ratio of the pollutants concentration to the status of ambient air in places. Indices of air pollutant or air quality have been used for about 25 years [33,34]. The following computation was used to drive the air quality index of the sites under consideration:

AQI= ¼ x (IPM10 / SPM10 + IPM2.5 / SPM2.5+ ISO2 / SSO2 + INOx /SNOx+ INH3 /SNH3) x 100

Where: IPM10, IPM2.5, ISO2, INOX and INH3 = Individual values of particulate matter (10 and 2.5), sulphur dioxide oxides of nitrogen, and ammonia respectively.

IPM10, IPM2.5, ISO2, INOX and INH3 = Standards of ambient air quality.

The indices use health based descriptions to provide meaningful information to the public. The five levels of AQI are given in table 2. Table 2: Index Values of air quality index calculation [35].

Value of Index Remarks Between 10-25 Clean air Between 26-50 Light air pollution Between 51-75 Moderate air pollution Between 76-100 Heavy air pollution Above 100 Severe air pollution

III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Figure 1: PM10 Values for Ambient Air Monitoring Sites Mean PM10 values at all sites are observed in the Mean range of 81.00 ug/m³ (Balivali site) to 243.2 ug/m³ 700.0 Minimum (Sakhare site) respectively. Minimum and 600.0 Maximum maximum values are found at Walvande site (45.6 500.0 ug/m³) and Sakhare site (654.2 ug/m³) respectively. It has been observed that all the maximum values 400.0 at all sites exceeds the Air Quality Standards (i.e. 300.0 more than 100 ug/m³) NAAQS, 2009 due to the 200.0 local burning of fuel woods, burning of leaves/ (ug/m3) levels Concentration dried waste materials and resuspension of road 100.0 dust in the atmosphere. Figure 1 shows average, 0.0 minimum and maximum values of PM10 values at all monitoring sites. Sites

Figure 2: PM Values for Ambient Air Monitoring Sites Mean PM2.5 values at all sites are observed in the 2.5 Mean range of 48.2 ug/m³ (Mangrul site) to 60.3 ug/m³ 140.0

(Suryamal site) respectively. Minimum and 120.0 Minimum maximum average values observed at Malvade site (12.5 ug/m³) and Suryamal site (123.0 ug/m³) 100.0 Maximum respectively. It has been observed that maximum 80.0 values at all sites exceeds the Air Quality 60.0 Standards (i.e. more than 60 ug/m³) NAAQS, 40.0

2009. The high values of PM2.5 found due to the (ug/m3) levels Concentration biomass burning for heating and cooking activities 20.0 and resuspension of road dust. Figure 2 shows 0.0 average, minimum and maximum values of PM2.5 values at all monitoring sites.

Sites

Mean SO2 values at all sites are observed in the range Figure 3: SO Values for Ambient Air Monitoring Sites of 2.2 ug/m³ (Malvada site) to 13.6 ug/m³ (Belwad 2 Mean site) respectively. Minimum and maximum average 25.0 values observed at Malvade site (0.3 ug/m³) and Minimum 20.0 Mangrul site (12.2 ug/m³) respectively. It has been Maximum observed that values at all sites are within the limits of the Air Quality Standards (i.e. more than 80 ug/m³) 15.0 NAAQS, 2009. Figure 3 shows average, minimum and maximum values of SO2 values at all monitoring 10.0 sites. SO2 sources are generally from the burning of Concentration levels (ug/m3) levels Concentration fossil fuels and industrial emissions (WHO, 2002). 5.0

0.0 Mean NOX values at all sites are observed in the range of 12.1 ug/m³ (Mangrul site) to 14.5 ug/m³ (Parli site) respectively. Minimum and maximum average values observed at Walvande site (6.2 ug/m³) Sites and Dhaipatpada site (22.9 ug/m³) respectively. It has Figure 4: NOx Values for Ambient Air Monitoring Sites been observed that values at all sites are within the 25.0 limits of the Air Quality Standards (i.e. more than 80 ug/m³) NAAQS, 2009. Figure 4 shows average, minimum and maximum values of NOx values at all 20.0 monitoring sites. Nox sources are generally from the 15.0 part of PM2.5 and O3, found in nitrate aerosols, produced by burning fuels, electricity generation plus 10.0 vehicle engines (WHO, 2002). Mean

(ug/m3) levels Concentration 5.0 Minimum Mean NH3 values at all sites are observed in the range of 2.9 ug/m³ (Dhaipatpada site) to 11.2 ug/m³ Maximum (Malwada site) respectively. Minimum and maximum 0.0 average values observed at Waki site (0.5 ug/m³) and Belwad site (32.6 ug/m³) respectively. It has been Sites observed that values at all sites are within the limits of the Air Quality Standards (i.e. more than 80 ug/m³) Figure 5: NH3 Values for Ambient Air Monitoring Sites NAAQS, 2009. Figure 5 shows average, minimum 35.0 Mean and maximum values of NH3 values at all monitoring 30.0 sites. Sources of Ammonia is also emitted from non- Minimum agricultural sources such as catalytic converters in 25.0 Maximum petrol cars, landfill sites, sewage works, composting 20.0 of organic materials, combustion, industry and wild 15.0 mammals and birds [36,37]. 10.0

(ug/m3) levels Concentration Ambient air quality with respect to the average 5.0 parameters and respective AQI is presented in Table 0.0 3. On the basis of AQI, it can be seen that the Sakhare, Belwad, and Suryamal were heavily polluted (AQI 76-100) whereas the Malwada, Waki, Walvande, Parli, Mangrul, and Dhaipatpada were Sites moderately polluted (AQI 51-75).

Table 3: Ambient air quality with respect to the average parameters and respective AQI

Quality of Ambient air Sites PM10 PM2.5 SO2 NO2 NH3 AQI Malwada 146.1 48.3 2.2 12.3 11.2 64.7 Moderate air pollution Waki 85.7 50.0 3.5 13.0 10.8 50.8 Moderate air pollution Sakhare 243.2 55.4 5.4 12.3 11.0 92.8 Heavy air pollution Walvande 106.7 43.6 7.6 12.5 9.3 54.0 Moderate air pollution Belwad 183.5 53.4 13.6 12.7 7.3 78.6 Heavy air pollution Balivali 81.0 46.6 10.6 12.5 8.2 49.4 Light air pollution Parli 159.7 46.3 10.7 14.5 6.2 69.1 Moderate air pollution Suryamal 181.0 60.3 12.0 13.3 11.3 81.8 Heavy air pollution Mangrul 172.3 48.2 13.0 12.1 6.3 73.0 Moderate air pollution Dhaipatpada 129.3 45.8 11.9 13.4 2.9 60.2 Moderate air pollution

IV. CONCLUSION

Average monitoring data of all the sites clearly showed lower concentrations of gaseous pollutants (SO2, NOx and NH3) and higher concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 in the ambient air. At all the monitoring sites, PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations exceeded the permissible limits specified by CPCB while SO2, NOX and NH3 were within the standard specified by CPCB. In order to protect human health, property and environment from the adverse effects of air pollution, the National ambient air quality standards have been set by the central pollution control board. The problems associated with air pollution in selected village areas are mostly due to the large number of privately owned motor vehicles, vehicles of obsolete two stroke technologies, road congestion, poor public transit system, bad maintenance, etc. Over the years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of vehicles particularly the two wheelers. Increasing public awareness of air quality and the burden of disease caused by air pollution is an essential step in reducing air pollution and improving public health.

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